Tag Archives: Uranus

When the Gemini Moon was eclipsing the Sun, I felt the need to create a new vision for the future. It became apparent that this was to fill the need to be connected to something that would carry me on. I needed a lifeline to hold whilst riding the roller coaster that life had become. I felt like a drunk rolling home with only that slender thread to pull me through. The Scorpio Moon manifested as an energy vortex with an intense undertow. All that was no longer needed was being sucked away. Often I felt like I was on my belly in the mud, holding on to that slender filament as I inched forward with sheer determination to stay the course. Finally, the fibre began to be pulled by wild horses through the eye of the needle that was the 12-12-12 portal.

As things were moving fast and at times the work was upside down the main focus for me was to surrender to the flow. Much of the time the ride was ecstatic with energy from some otherworldly source filling my body ever more consistently with fiery light. Still the more it did so the more grief would rise up from the dark depths of hell that has often been our experience of life on earth. That is where the Sagittarian faith has proved invaluable. The body became a contortionist, the face disfigured with rising stress yet the Sagittarius enthusiasm for a new world ensured one held fast to the gossamer thread pulling us all through the birthing canal into the next dimension.

While the Scorpio Moon cycle came to a close over the last week, we were in the thick of hay baling season on our property. As anyone who has experienced this season would know, the mercury is high on the thermometer and yet the race is on to get the hay in, before the heat is relieved by the inevitable build up of rain. This season had the added drama of the baler breaking down and the stop/start of trying to keep things on track over several days. Life was in slow motion and with each step the landscape was transfigured with its own crude crop circles.

One of my favourite comedic sequences is the opening of the Hitchcock parody, ‘High Anxiety.’ We follow Mel Brook’s character as he disembarks from a plane and makes his way through the airport. There is loud dramatic music and all sorts of covert and threatening activities going on around him. Finally, he exits and as the doors slide closed the music suddenly stops and there is silence. He pauses and exclaims, ‘What a dramatic airport!’

In the stillness between the 12-12-12 portal and the the exact time of the New Moon I watched as the door was closed on the hay shed and the last ute disappeared down the drive. Ahhh, it is done! Each year the land gets shorn of her flowing tresses, leaving the yellow stubble of summer on the fields. I get immense satisfaction knowing that horses will be surviving on this gift of sustenance from the freely forming grasses of mother earth.

How does it feel to have those doors close on the past, whilst waiting the few hours for the New moon to kick in? At first I just feel stunned, shell shocked. Nothing seems to have changed, my body felt worse if anything. Then the slow creep of something new…. relief…chillin’ was the word that kept coming to mind. Whew!…chillin’ now and it is quiet and delicious. I laughed when I visited the pages of my favourite, fellow astrological blogger, Gneiss Moon. In her lovely homage to Uranus to celebrate it moving direct, she uses one word, chillin’. I love that we are all connected, no matter where on the planet we reside. We tap into the same universal experience and use the same words and metaphors to communicate how we are doing.

As the Moon and the Sun aligned with each other in Sagittarius, I emerged from fog and was able to start defining with clarity what this new world may be. The last Scorpio cycle was such a prolonged period of honouring and saying goodbye to life as I have known it. Time became meaningless. Now the thread of vision I have clung to so fervently becomes something with which I can sew and create. With so much baggage released I am free to generate my heart’s desire. Together the Sun and the Moon set over the water and I sketched designs for a new life; content and inspired.

This morning as I wake I kept making circles in my mind. I am the centre and the circle forms around me. It reminds me of working with a horse. You hold a loose rope as the large beast circles around, responding to your commands. The horse, the human both connected, intently focussed on learning and executing new behaviours. Together they create a future. The Centaur has set his goal and is seeking its manifestation.

We have passed through our rebirthing in Scorpio. Sagittarius is future focussed. Uranus has been retrograde since July, filling us with visions of the new without any experience of external change. It has now turned direct and we can follow our revelations out into the world. Mercury has completed its journey over the terrain it retrograded through. It now takes its message into new territory. Nothing can stop us now, we have entered the future.

In my mind’s eye I took the compass and made more circles on the rim of the first with the edge dissecting the centre point and on and on until the whole Earth is covered with the flowers of life.

I know that we have all been intent on following our true essence through the swamps and quicksand of this past eon. We have finally made it through. All of us are creating from our centre. The planet is rejoicing as a crystalline matrix has been formed by the collective dreaming.

Tomorrow Saturn, the planet of structure and discipline, moves into Scorpio. That is 5th-6th October depending on where in the world you reside. This planet describes the boundaries of our personal world and takes two and a half years to move through a sign. The journey begins with a sense of inadequacy as Saturn points out one’s shortfalls and demands a commitment to a process of continuous improvement. It aims to build solid foundations and develop competencies to fulfil the purpose we feel compelled to contribute to society. Saturn is a stern taskmaster but if obeyed provides the exquisite satisfaction that comes from overcoming daunting challenges.

Astrology tends to push us forward into the future, there are always new energies to assimilate. With Saturn there are new tasks to fulfil and burdens to carry. As Steven King wrote “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” Saturn does lighten up as he matures. The beginning of his journey may seem overwhelming but once he achieves what he set out to do, he becomes a supportive and playful ally. Now there is a unique opportunity to pause and survey the landscape as Saturn completes his sojourn in Libra.

Saturn rules the past and it is worthwhile seeing what you have been focussing on over this time. Where has your attention been? What has been your work? What have you been disciplining yourself to do? What skills and competencies have you developed to progress your life? What have you been aiming at?

Over this time you have become disciplined in some area that has been well integrated into your routine. It has been offering its own inherent satisfaction. Some of the examples I have been hearing from others are strict adherence to musical practise, discovering a love for Pilates bodywork, acquiring new work responsibilities, and adjusting to a changed relationship. Joy is experienced at the thrill of a new level of mastery. “I did this!” Even so the satisfaction is tentatively expressed as Saturn is always aware of how much still needs to be done. Looking back you see how far you have come in shifting previous obstacles.

One element that emerges is the present difficulty in maintaining the discipline. The motivation is no longer there. Saturn rules fear and loss. As determination starts to dissipate, the individual expresses concern that they will lose hard won ground if they do not continue. This is two and a half years of effort and no-one wants to throw it all away. Perhaps a plateau has been reached since it has been a while since there has been a good return on investment.

I propose that this dwindling interest is the completion of the Saturn in Libra task. It doesn’t mean that this will disappear from our life, just that it becomes a more balanced part of our daily routine. We have achieved what we needed and a new challenge will be identified as Saturn enters Scorpio. If we wish to move forward in life some other aspect will require our unwavering attention.

There is a moment between cycles where we can stand upright and celebrate what we have achieved. Tomorrow we will need to pick up a new rock and develop new muscles as we identify our task for the period ahead.

Cronus is the Greek god that is equated with Saturn. His father, Ouranos, was dissatisfied with the children he created with Gaia and in disgust hid them away in the womb of the Earth. Gaia found it painful containing all her babies forever. She was disturbed that her offspring could never emerge and live life. She entreated Cronus to overthrow his father and free his siblings. The son castrated Ouranos with a sickle and became the ruler of a Golden Age with his wife, Rhea.

Given his history Cronus was acutely aware that one day he would be overthrown by his offspring. To overcome this fate he took to consuming his children and containing them safely within his own body. Rhea, like Gaia before her was distressed by the loss of her children and tricked him by wrapping a boulder in swaddling clothes. He promptly accepted the rock as his son and swallowed it whole. When this boy, Zeus, had grown into a young man he returned to his father’s domain and forced Cronus to regurgitate his brood. Cronus was banished from the kingdom and Zeus took his place as the new father of the Gods.

This multi-generational myth is rich with meaning that we can apply to the story of our life. Today I am interested in how history tends to repeat itself. Saturn rules the past and karma; it has an acute understanding of this dynamic. We can see that as the events rerun there are some alterations. Ouranos was castrated and died, Cronus was overthrown and banished, a more lenient fate. With each turn of the wheel, the plot is similar but also improved. Things evolve.

In our personal journey, the planet Saturn takes about 29.5 years to travel around the Zodiac. For those of us who have been hanging around this “mortal coil” for some time, we will have experienced Saturn in Libra more than once. I have been having some fun with my clients, seeing how our own history has played out.

This has been the second time around for me. The last time I met my partner (Libra). We were fully committed (Saturn) to our relationship. Before this I was living a gypsy-style life. Now I had to face reality and find a place in the mainstream. I found myself trapped in a dead end and demeaning job as a telephonist in a basement shared with many other women. My self-esteem took a major hit and like the mythical offspring, I felt trapped. My partner had his own issues and I realised that I would have to engineer my escape from the dungeon alone. I became the Union Rep and had to learn all the conditions of service. I realised I was entitled to study leave and returned to university. As my confidence increased I became more of an authority in the environment. Later when the exchange was being closed down, I was able to step into my power and negotiate new jobs with greatly improved conditions for the other telephonists and myself.

This time around I am coming out of a period tucked away in the country, where I home-educated my daughter. As Saturn re-entered Libra I needed to return to society and find a new role. The world of work has greatly changed in my absence. I have been faced with taking low paid manual work that is no reflection of my skills. My true desire has been to establish my own practice as a life coach using astrology, tarot and flower essences. I have a long history in these areas but since the environment has changed I have undergone further study to establish mainstream credibility. Step by step, I have extended my reach establishing this blog, giving lessons, providing consultations and expanding my client base.

The stories are very similar. The first time around I am a young adult finding a role for myself in the world. This time I emerge again after motherhood with a renewed desire to share my talents with others. Reviewing these journeys gives me clarity and a firm foundation for moving into Scorpio.

I recommend you look at your passage through Libra and congratulate yourself for how far you have come. Soon new demands will distract you as your nose returns to the grindstone.

Gemini shows once again how she does things in two’s as we have another New Moon in this sign. This time it is opposite the centre of the Milky Way. We can see how this foray through Gemini, the lightest of signs, has been all about aligning with the light. We have been constantly bombarded with radiance from the cosmos. The Sun has been featured over this cycle with two eclipses and the rare Venus transit. Also there have been large amounts of Solar flare activity. So much so that here at the bottom of the world in my Tasmanian neighbourhood we have been experiencing the Aurora Australis which is the southern equivalent to the Aurora Borealis.

What does light do? It releases the dark. As we have been completing the last Moon cycle I have felt emotions, old behaviours and physical symptoms come up in me. I tell myself they are emerging in order to disappear in the comfort of a shining embrace.

To aid this process of casting the old into a cleansing bonfire Chiron, the wounded healer has turned retrograde allowing the buried pain and trauma of the past to re-emerge into our awareness. At the same time Jupiter moved into Gemini for its year long sojourn through this sign, expanding the light further to support the clearing of the wounds we offer up via Chiron.

Another pairing of light and dark is the Uranus/Pluto square whose arrival we have sensed for so long. It is finally becoming exact for the first of seven contacts. As Pluto is exposing all the hidden frailties and corruption in our financial and government systems, Uranus is eagerly opening them up to the masses to see what was once hidden. Over the next few years more and more secrets and shortcomings will be brought into the light of day and everyone will get the opportunity to intuit sparkling ideas that resolve age-old problems.

Gemini loves patterns and I see the two new moons, one at the beginning of the sign and another at the end, being echoed in our global environment. The fate of our economy seems to lie with the outcome of the Greek election. Funny given how Greece is considered the birthplace of democracy and the beginning of Western Civilisation. Is this just a co-incidence? Are we being presented with the Alpha and Omega of our current age.

Another example is 9/11. This event was hailed as world changing from the moment it happened and ushered in our current era. Astrologers consider this a Gemini /Sagittarius event symbolised by the Twin Towers. At this time Pluto was in Sagittarius opposing Saturn in Gemini. Now 2012 is much prophesied as being another turning point in history. Now Pluto has moved on to Capricorn, the sign ruled by Saturn. In 2001 there was a physical attack on the World Trade Centre, a symbol of the financial system. Today we are not certain that the Global Economy can survive the current woes without radical transformation. More and more we ask if our world is sustainable. Ironically there is more and more data being exposed about the facts surrounding 9/11. This in itself triggers a loss of faith in the ruling elites.

Mercury, the God of information is trawling the underworld for the buried secrets of accepted history in many areas. What is being uncovered challenges what has been considered inviolable truths of the ages.

Many of us are experiencing this on a personal level. Aspects of life that we have considered permanent are coming to an end. We seem to be standing in a place of total unknowing. What will the future bring? The problems are beyond us. We do not have the answers. We have to trust that, as we dismantle what is old and no longer working, radical new solutions will appear from outside our familiar world. We are offering ourselves for a makeover and we do not yet know what will be required. Gemini is full of questions and happily tolerates that the answers are awaiting discovery.

Tomorrow is the Solstice. Here in the Southern Hemisphere we experience our shortest day and in the North you experience the longest. Once again we are tied together by our duality, twins reflecting each other. The Solstice marks the Sun moving into Cancer. Cancer rules our tribe, our family and where we are rooted. Here we are born and nurtured in the nest. We create our haven and eventually we die taking our place amongst the ancestors allowing the next generation to sustain the race. In Cancer we have ‘the cradle of civilisation’. Here is the Alpha and the Omega.

In Gemini I felt more congruent with myself and happily expanded out into my environment. I connected and communicated with an array of people and am now feeling scattered by too much activity. I woke one morning with the image that I was no longer a body but instead just cells, all vibrating in a random pile. I was both excited and awed.

I have been touched by so many wonderful people lately and I now welcome the opportunity to move into Cancer. I feel the need to nest and nurture all who I gathered around me. In all my activity I have acquired an expanded family in which I would love to secure my sense of belonging.

As we have utilised the light to clear out the falsehoods and dysfunction of the old we have expanded to see Gaia as our home and the Solar System, even the Galaxy, as our neighbourhood. We are seeing how tenuous economies and governments are. We are becoming brothers and sisters of the light who are working to secure a sustainable environment for all. This next cycle is about securing that safe nest in our personal lives and for our global family in this evolving world.

Today, the Moon and the Sun come together in Taurus for the next chapter of our story. The Aries seed has begun sprouting. Towards the end of the Aries cycle I found myself exploring more and more energy work. I was on fire with the potential of higher vibrations and the thrill of where they could take me. I found myself exploring the promise of new territories in opening up our human potential.

Whilst pioneering this joyous energy I found I was continually being called back to earth to deal with the mechanics of my environment, which didn’t seem to be coping as well with the increasing energy. I mean this literally. My watch stopped, no it hasn’t, yes it has. Not the battery, it needs a mechanical overhaul. I have lost all sense of time. My car, supposedly all fixed, seems to be having trouble recharging the battery and so regularly needs a jump start. Fridge fan going crazy. Water pump thumping and spurting. Electricity pulsing. Computer cords powering up only sometimes. Blender… internet connection….showers…Too many things to take seriously. I keep needing to go outside to ground myself and ramp up my energy to maintain my equilibrium.

I have had the pleasure of meeting lots of cheery Aries or Mars in Virgo types; men that fix things! I am in awe of their clear rational explanation of how things work as they proceed to make them better. However I have had to resort to a more esoteric explanation of why things… don’t work, do, don’t work …all at once. Speedy Mercury has returned to Fiery Aries and has been moving closer to Electric Uranus whilst forming a tense aspect (inconjunct) with direct Mars, taking deliberate steps forward in Fix It Virgo. As I am developing my own ability to have more and more energy vibrating through me, the mechanics of my world seem to be dealing with the same challenges. Lots of recharging required.

How does all this relate to our Taurus New Moon? Today we start on a new journey. Taurus feels the need to slow down. It knows all those Aries energies may be wasted; spurted out on barren ground. Taurus will ensure they remain fertilised. She desires to ground, maintain and make certain nothing is lost. Taurus is not interested in always focussing forward, she wishes to engage the present moment. She knows that craziness lies in forever rushing without stopping to smell the roses, lie on the grass and fully indulge the senses. Taurus asks us to take some time out, assess where we are, celebrate all that we have and ensure that what was planted is growing. Everything has its own energy and its own will to fulfil it’s potential. Time to take pleasure in letting things be.

Aries was the time for activations. Taurus is the time for allowing what was born to become. Everything has been born for a reason and has worth and value in the scheme of things. They need to find a home in our body and in our life.

I find myself wanting to explore energy in more concrete forms. I feel drawn to play with crystals and essential oils. I want to enjoy flowers and the beauty of nature. Colour. Birdsong. It is time for massages and some sweet loving. Naps. Time to re-acquaint myself with delicious food and drink. To breathe and sigh…ahhh…mmm. Yum.

I am creating beautiful music with the earth, here now!

Image: This illustration “Satellite” by David Burk illustrates the straddling of energy beautifully.

Since I have started this blog we have shared a couple of Moon Cycles and the Sun starting its annual sojourn around the Zodiac. As Mercury and Mars changed direction in the sky I introduced them. These planets are easy to relate to as they are involved in the stuff of our everyday life. I wish to connect with them and remain connected to them as these are the qualities we have clothed ourself with here on Earth. They are our allies that accompany us each step of he way. As humans we utilise our natural born talents that are represented by these and more planets that I have yet to introduce on our journey.

Now, it is time to address the elephant in the room. ‘Times are a changing’ and everyone can feel it in some way. Things have sped up and the ground appears to be moving beneath us. It feels like it may be more than normal fluctuations of the cycles. This is the work of the outer planets.

The outer planets lie beyond human eyesight and only came into our consciousness when we began to use technology to aid us to see the unseen. Up till then Saturn with its rings marked the boundary of human experience. With the invention of the telescope, Herschel discovered Uranus in 1781 and that began an expansion of our awareness and a change to how we experienced life on Earth.

Co-incident with the discoveries of the new bodies in the Solar System our experience of what was possible changed. It seemed that humanity and the individual started taking a momentous journey together. Uranus was discovered in the Age of Enlightenment. The human experience was altered by science, revolutions, the discovery of the New world, industrialisation, electricity, the splitting of the atom, individual expression, world wars, space flight, social consciousness and the computer chip. Before this relentless change, the quiet of an agrarian lifestyle defined the days for generation after generation. Religion or the monarchy managed or caused whatever occurred to disrupt daily life. The boundaries that Saturn marked have been forever changed as there has been a continuous push to expand our consciousness to accommodate greater and greater possibilities.

The names of the planets come from the Roman version of the gods in the Greek pantheon. Greek mythology is a rich source of stories which astrologers like to utilise in describing our experiences of life. In these tales the heroes were the offspring of kings, queens and gods. They went on adventures which transformed the individual and changed the world they belong to.

I like to think that as humans we are all heroes; unique, perfect offspring of the gods and well equipped for grand adventures. As we move into unpredictable territory we create, with courage, each step into the unknown. The fruits of our experience seed grand new worlds. Our stories are told in the news, inspire films, feed gossip, fill our blogs and are bequeathed to our children. Each of us has an original tale that makes up the tapestry of life on this planet.

We are born with our individual talents and predispositions exactly as we desire. We are offered reflections of our quest everywhere. My personal favourite is the birth chart which shows in symbols all our resources and a map of the terrain. The Sun through to Saturn’s gifts, we can easily pull around us. Beyond Saturn the outer planets provide the whispers of the unknown, our quest, the game that will pull us out of a static and mundane life into adventure. Here we use our inner knowing to access new consciousness that comes with every step we create.

Astrologers watch the solar system beyond Saturn with bated breath trying to divine how this new experience will play out for the individual and for humanity.

Enter the current elephant in the room. Eccentric Uranus is the planet whose discovery in 1781 opened the portals for a shift in consciousness which allowed us all equal and free access to sudden insights of genius. Any individual regardless of the privileges of birth could harness their potential and change the world. This planet that takes 84 years to move through the zodiac started a new cycle in Aries last year indicating the beginning of a radical change for us all.

Pluto was discovered in 1930 and heralded in the nuclear age with the splitting of the atom and the horrors of WW2. Pluto, made an entrance into our consciousness worthy of the Lord of the Underworld. For the first time in recorded history we became aware of our ability to destroy the planet we live on, and to wipe out life as we know it. As a species, we acquired a new level of power and the task has become to wield it responsibly. The game had totally changed.

Between 2012 and 2015 there will be seven dynamic face offs (exact squares- in astrologese) between Uranus and Pluto. We have been feeling this energy build up since late 2008. The first square will happen in June this year. I expect I will post many thoughts on this duo as time unfolds.

Many traditions have references to the power of these times and I suspect we all feel something has shifted that is making the future uncertain and up for grabs. As heroes, we all signed up for this adventure and each of us are creating new stepping stones that will provide pathways into a new world. The outer bodies in the solar system are forever calling us forward and we are on the leading edge of this consciousness.

The stakes are high and I believe we are creating a world like we have not known before. During this time it is unwise to live our lives externally without access to our own knowing. That is an old way of playing the game where we hand our power over to the authority of government and church.The anxiety we hear from these voices will leave us in the middle of a stampede of fear.

So far, my posts have been on smaller and more personal cycles. The purpose is not to ignore the elephant but to remind us of our personal power. We need to have faith in our own ability and remain centred in our stories. We can trust that we have what we require in the present moment. This is our adventure and we are creating the steps that will make a brave new world. Each of us has a splendid role to play. As we make each move, we will call up the allies of our knowing and trust the messages we hear whispered from within.

I think elephants are a perfect symbol of Uranus and Pluto. There is no doubt about their majestic power and their longevity. Elephants have an amazing ability to communicate, apparently telepathically, over great distances. One group senses another many miles away through vibrations (Uranus) that run through the ground(Pluto). One herd stamps a foot and the other picks up the message through their own wide feet. We all have many unique senses, seen and unseen, by remaining grounded and open like the elephant, we will tune into the correct response at the correct time.